13 Things Mentally Strong People Don\'t Do: Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears, and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success pdfdrive com

GET COMFORTABLE BEING ALONE
Vanessa’s days were filled with activities that easily took priority over spending
time alone. The only way she could faithfully incorporate solitude into her daily
routine was to schedule it and treat her alone time like all her other important
appointments. She also had to view her solitary activities as practice. Learning
new skills like meditation and mindfulness, and making journaling a daily habit,
requires dedication. Initially, Vanessa learned about meditation by reading and
watching online tutorials. But when she realized that she actually enjoyed it, she
expressed an interest in taking a meditation class. She felt like the more skills
she learned, the better equipped she’d be to quiet her mind at night.
PRACTICE TOLERATING SILENCE
Most of us are used to having a lot of noise surrounding us during the day.
Sometimes, people actively seek out the hustle and bustle to prevent themselves
from being alone with their thoughts. Do you or someone you know fall asleep
with a TV or radio on for background noise? Trying to drown out your thoughts
by bombarding yourself with constant noise isn’t healthy. Building just a few
quiet moments into your day can help recharge your batteries. Take at least ten
minutes every day to sit quietly by yourself and do nothing but think. If you’re
used to constant noise and activity, silence may feel uncomfortable at first.
However, with practice it gets easier. Use alone time to do the following:
• Reflect on your goals. Take a few moments every day to think about your
personal or professional goals. Evaluate how you’re doing and think about
any changes you may want to make.
• Pay attention to your feelings. Check in with yourself about how you’re
feeling both physically and emotionally. Think about your stress level.

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Evaluate whether you’re taking good enough care of yourself and think about
any ways you could improve your life.
• Set goals for the future. Don’t stop dreaming about what you may want the
future to look like. The first step to creating the type of life you want is
deciding how you want the future to look.
• Write in a journal. Journaling can be a powerful tool in helping you to better
understand and learn from your emotions. Research studies show that writing
about experiences and the emotions surrounding those experiences boosts
immune systems, decreases stress, and improves mental health.
We live in a world where we can be constantly connected to people. But
digital connectivity means we have fewer opportunities to be alone with our
thoughts. Reaching for your phone to check for messages, scrolling through
social media accounts, and reading online news stories can take up a lot of your
time. Just spending a few minutes here and a few minutes there can add up to
several hours a day. Constant communication interrupts your daily activities and
can lead to increased stress and anxiety. Take a break from technology and
incorporate some more quiet time in your daily life by trying the following:
• Turn off the TV when you’re not actually watching it.
• Ride in the car without the radio playing.
• Go for a walk without taking your cell phone.
• Shut off all your electronics once in a while just to take a break.